Canberrans are rediscovering our superb suburbs

In recent decades, apart from a few hardened souls stepping out on their daily constitutionals or wayward teenagers up to no good, on weekends most of these bush corridors have been virtually devoid of human activity.

It seems that as a city we enjoy the fact these patches of bush are there, but historically most of us rarely venture into them. It's akin to those cashed-up boaties who buy a yacht and leave it tied it up at the dock, setting sail once a year. As a city, we have taken these bush corridors for granted.

However, in the last few weeks, restricted from travelling further afield for work or recreation, Canberrans are embracing suburban parklands all over the ACT with renewed enthusiasm. And isn't it great.

Even in my own sleepy Belconnen suburb, the bush tracks criss-crossing the parkland atop Mt Rogers, usually the sole domain of a few early-morning dog walkers and a mob of kangaroos, are now fabulously marked with thousands of footprints of the homo sapien kind.

Behind backyard fences on the grassy areas freshly mowed as fire breaks, gym junkies count out their push ups to music thumping through their ear pods and trig points have become impromptu chin-up bars. Rather than being driven in air-conditioned cars to designated mountain bike parks, kids are now even pedalling through their suburb and around the hill. And what's more they are enjoying it. What? You can make your own fun. Who'd have thought?

Our newfound appreciation of local community spaces is also promoting innovation. After excitedly searching for teddies perched on the windowsills of nearby houses, some enterprising kids in my suburb scrawl daily jokes in chalk on a set of stairs leading to the top of Mt Rogers. A container with chalk (and hand sanitiser!) is at the bottom of the stairs for others to add their own joke or message of joy. Compare this to the ugly tags and crass messages left in paint by graffiti vandals of the past. What a delight.

And it's not just on weekends that my suburb has found its mojo. The weekday drone of incessant traffic on the usually busy Ginninderra Drive has been replaced with the laughter of children playing on the streets, temporarily escaping the rigours of home schooling for some exercise. Neighbours who only walk past our house to get to the annual street Christmas Party now stroll past daily, delivering good morning hollers.

While Canberrans all over the ACT are turning to nature reserves and parks for much needed essential exercise, we are also embracing nature in increasing numbers.

Take Wendy Moore of Ainslie who, for many years, has been making daily pilgrimages to a curious arch tree, hidden away on the western slopes of Mt Ainslie, where she often sits and meditates.

Wendy reports Mt Ainslie has become much busier, even off the popular summit track. "I have seen so many more people walking on the hill, especially lots of parents with young kids," she says.

"The other day I even stumbled across a woman singing opera up on one of the lesser tracks," reveals Wendy, adding "there were a few of us who heard her and two of us who stopped and sat (physically distanced, of course) to listen."

Despite the increased numbers hitting Mt Ainslie for essential exercise, there's still plenty of space for Wendy to get her daily nature fix. "I really love the way that if you sit quiet and still enough you see more and more ... the tiny birds, the black wallabies, nature in all its glory," she explains.

Another reader who is finding more time to explore our bush fringes is Jill Schaefer of Giralang who, earlier this week, during a stroll in the Gungaderra Grasslands Nature Reserve, was smitten with the unexpected colour of epicormic growth on a gumtree.

"When I looked closer my attention was immediately caught by the 'eye' and horse-like mouth on the trunk which I hadn't noticed before," reports Jill.

Restriction on travel and social distancing has forced us all to slow down, whether we like it or not, and to explore our own neighbourhoods. We are especially lucky in the Bush Capital, for unlike many other cities in the world, a short distance from the door of every Canberran is a reserve or park, places we always knew were there, but only now are embracing.

Perhaps every cloud does have a silver lining after all.

When last week's cold change brought a dusting of snow to alpine peaks and your shivering akubra-clad columnist announced on social media that I was turning the heater on, I was lambasted by followers from far and wide.

"Heaters on before Anzac Day is just weak (unless you are elderly or have a medical condition), embrace the cold, it's wonderfully refreshing," wrote Jude May. Mick Andrews was more to the point. "You are a big chicken".

Renowned avian shutterbug Leo Berzins of Merimbula was more eloquent in his criticism. "If there's early snow, the only flame you need to see is the beautiful Flame Robin," he tweeted along with a stunning photo of the colourful bird he snapped in Namadgi National Park in July 2013.

For over 30 years, I have stoically followed the Anzac Day ''rule'', but given many of us are presently cooped-up inside, if the weather calls for it and if it boosts your spirits, then surely this is a year where tradition can be relaxed. Who's with me?

CONTACT TIM: Email: timtheyowieman@bigpond.com or Twitter: @TimYowie or write c/- The Canberra Times, 9 Pirie St, Fyshwick.

This column's recent shout-out for the location of Canberra's distinctive Clem Cummings' designed bus shelters lurking beyond our borders (The 100 Objects that Define Canberra, March 14) prompted a bulging mailbag.

"Last school holidays we took the kids inland during the fires to support the farmers and found one in Mogriguy, just out of Dubbo," reports Carol Dale of Melba.

Penelope Godwin can do even better. "The Mogriguy bus shelter is opposite my family's farm and was my bus stop for a few years when I was a kid," reports Penelope. "We either rode our bikes along the horribly corrugated track to get there or would be dropped off as it's about 4 clicks [kilometres] from the house."

Closer to the coast, "there's also one on the old Pacific Highway at Doyalson, just south of Swansea near Newcastle," report Peter Monck and Dale Harding.

Further north, a number of readers including Peter Bailey report a lone Cummings shelter near the Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary on Teemangum Street, Tugan, on the Gold Coast.

The reach of the concrete shelter is far and wide. Other locations include Goulburn, Jabiru in the Northern Territory and a bright blue one on Woodville Rd, Merrylands, in Sydney. There's also one on the Captains Flat Road in Carwoola which Johnny Dias reveals "was purchased and installed by a local family over 20 years ago to provide shelter for their kids catching the school bus".

Still on the windows, Craig Collins of Coombs reports: "The Cummings-designed bus shelter at Tallong Rail Station [near Goulburn] is a rare one as it still has its original window. I haven't seen any in Canberra that still retain theirs, unfortunately long since smashed by vandals." Let's hope it remains that way.

Cryptic Clue: Straight to the top

Degree of difficulty: Medium

Last week: Congratulations to Carmel Wroe of Dickson who was first to correctly identify the location of last week's photo, sent in by Albert Neuss, as Monaro Street, Queanbeyan. While Albert is unsure of the exact year of the photo, Carmel reports: "Going by the motor cars in the photo, I reckon it was mid to late 1920s."

Carmel just beat Roger Shelton of Spence and Eric Capello to claim this week's bragging rights. Meanwhile, Claire Lewis of Crace reports her father (Patrick Eastaway) worked at Hayes and Russell, one of the stores featured in the photo, while her husband's father, Ernest George Lewis, owned a barber shop at the back of the premises on the right of the hotel. "He was still cutting hair there until the mid 1960s," says Claire.

How to enter: Email your guess along with your name and suburb to timtheyowieman@bigpond.com. The first email sent after 10am, Saturday April 11, 2020 wins bragging rights. Tickets to Dendy Cinemas will once again be given as a prize when the cinemas reopen.

Burning Tree

Earlier this week, Jesse Chinnock of Above the Rest Tree Care, stumbled upon this big stump still smouldering in a burnt forest near Lake Conjola on the NSW south coast. This is despite over 500mm of rain falling since the New Years' Eve inferno. Extraordinary. I understand there are also a few stumps also still smouldering in Namadgi.

Happy Easter to all readers, especially to those who are isolating or elderly and stuck indoors for extended periods of time. You are not alone. We are thinking of you. Take care.